Physical Theatre

RUINS / أطالل 

Ruins

Ruins Rating

★★★★★

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RUINS / أطالل 

Ruins / أطالل at the Seymour Centre is a stunningly realised masterpiece of movement from Clockfire Theatre Company, devised by Emily Ayoub and Madeline Baghurst.

The play was described by the creatives as a love letter to Lebanon and the Arab Diaspora, and it’s clear from the very first seconds of the play that the love runs deep. Ruins / أطالل creates an utterly beautiful depiction of a deeply human story that at times conveyed the liveliness and beauty of Lebanon and then, at other times, took an unflinching look at the realities of war. 

Ruins / أطالل is one of the most important and relevant pieces to come to life in the current Australian theatre landscape. It’s a powerful story, exploring the complexities of grief and family, migration and sacrifice, and the power of memory. The subject matter is handled with sensitivity and emotion, creating a story that feels authentic and honest. 

Amelia is grieving the sudden loss of her father, and takes a solo trip to Lebanon that they’d planned to take together. Alongside her journey, we see her fathers last trip to Lebanon as a young man, and see how their stories intertwine in an intensely emotional journey through time and place. 

 

Ruins
Ruins
Ruins

 

Ruins is brought to life by an incredible cast of actors that deserved every second of the standing ovation they received at the end of the play. Randa Sayed is an emotional powerhouse as Amelia, delivering an incredible performance full of vulnerability and power. Moments of humour perfectly balance the grief, delivered with perfect comedic timing by Adeeb Razzouk and Piumi Wijesundara, both of whom were able to switch deftly between humour and heartbreak at a moments notice. Tony Poli brings a groundedness and charm to his character with a remarkable performance. Youssef Sabet is spectacularly energetic, carrying his roles with ease, and Madeline Baghurst displays some of the best movement work I’ve ever seen.

Movement drove every minute of this play and created a world that invited the audience to connect. The ensemble created worlds with their movement, and had a synchronicity onstage that felt almost musical.

The set is stripped back and immediately intriguing, bursting with dimension. The raised stage is removed, making the most of the space and creating a sense of the vast in the intimate theatre space. Sheer fabric with rounded archways cut out of them pair beautifully with video projections to create a vivid environment that brings the story to life without distracting from the main elements of the story. Transformation is a key part of the genius of this set design, with minimal props and set pieces inventively used to convey a multitude of spaces. 

Projections and music were beautiful accompaniments to the action onstage, and the live flute performances were a gorgeous addition to the beautifully designed soundscapes. 

The language was a beautiful mix of English and Arabic, that elicited the sense of musicality within the language. Projected subtitles make it accessible for non- Arabic speakers, but even the scenes that weren’t given subtitles felt accessible through movement and tone. 

Ruins / أطالل is exquisitely moving, and utterly devastating, full of flawlessly executed movement pieces, creating something transcendently beautiful. 

Ruins / أطالل is playing at the Seymour Centre until October 18th.

To book tickets to Ruins, please visit https://www.seymourcentre.com/event/ruins/.

Photographer: Geoff Maggee

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A Bold and Breathtaking Culmination of Art Forms

BiPolar Express

BiPolar Express Rating

★★★★★

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6

As a community theatre director, I often stress the importance of teamwork and that no player reaches their best without the shared journey and uplifting of every member of the cast, often to eye rolls. However, Bipolar Express is a gleaming example of a powerful ensemble who are the backbone and heart of the story. It’s only now as I sit down to write this, having just read the program, that I ascertained how many creatives were among this ensemble cast including choreographer, Avalon Ormiston, and producer, Phaedra Brown, which doesn’t surprise me considering what a stellar example of full-bodied togetherness that this piece is.

Anton played by writer, Bianca Yeung, is on a train to meet an estranged friend when she has a manic episode. The train is depicted with a simple yet vibrant set consisting of three double floodlights, and cane chairs with the iconic Sydney Transit blue squiggly velvet seats. Anton is desperately trying to remain upright as she sends voice-notes to friend, Mish, not knowing if Mish will be meeting her at the other end.

The ensemble weave and move around her, engaging in conversations that begin as small talk and progress into more interesting musings. Anton has a bouquet of orange flowers that become more disheveled as she unravels. They are the motif that anchors the passage of time. The set is changed with rhythm and poetry by the actors throughout the show.

 

BiPolar Express
BiPolar Express
BiPolar Express

 

The story moves between the present train delay and the past story of Mish and Anton. We discover that Mish was the keeper of Anton’s secrets, she was the one with the directives for what to do and when, and she was often the keeper of this part of Anton. We see the complications of these assigned roles between the two, and how it impacts their friendship over time.

To describe and adequately give voice and understanding to a complex mental health diagnosis such as Bipolar would be incredibly difficult in words, that is where the powerful art of movement and dance breathtakingly fill in some of those gaps. For example; the ensemble close in around Anton during a portrayal of exhaustion. She tries to creep out, reach out and even tries to free Mish in these moments, but she is unheard as she is swallowed by “The Others”.

Sound and light design take a huge amount of credit as a device in this piece as well. We are stagnant and trapped along with Anton in the darkness and we are pulled into the jubilance of the bright highs punctuated by poppy, boppy, music.

It is abundantly clear this piece has involved all creatives building, supporting and creating deep intimacy, which in turn made it inevitable that the audience become deeply invested and intertwined.

It’s a bold and breath-taking culmination of art forms that does great justice to shining some light on an important lived experience. I highly recommend supporting this work.

To book tickets to BiPolar Express, please visit https://sydneyfringe.com/events/bipolar-express/.

Photographer: Nat Cartney

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A Deep, Beautiful, Brave and Vulnerable Piece of Performance Art

Once In A Blue Moon

Once In A Blue Moon Rating

★★★★★

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“Once in a Blue Moon,” created and performed by Tala Issaoui as part of PYT Fairfield at the Sydney Fringe Festival, delivers a brief yet densely layered experience that fuses dance, ritual, and evocative visual storytelling.

Spanning just 30 minutes, Issaoui’s multidisciplinary performance beckons the audience into a shifting world of transformation. It’s a melancholic trilogy told through patterns, transitions, and potent symbolism.

The work opens with a striking video projection: Issaoui’s dance, rendered in cinematic hues and fluid imagery.

The transitions between film and live presence feel seamless, as the artist materialises onstage before a circular altar adorned with pebbles, an urn, and a pair of goblets.

The artist’s movements around this circle are cyclical and deliberate, blending ritual with choreography in a way that bridges the personal and the universal, with the lights, sound and music complimenting each phase.

Throughout, imagery and symbolism abound; the veil, for instance, which seems to float between meanings, might connote marriage, transformation, or transcendence.

The rhythmic motions, paired with dynamic lighting and a soundscape of often eery music, build tension and drama: thunder and lightning suggest fear and elemental power, while the act of dousing with water feels like a physical release, mourning, or rebirth. Texture becomes tangible as exaggerated makeup begins to spill down Issaoui’s face, accentuating the emotional intensity and the sense of unravelling.

 

Once In A Blue Moon
Once In A Blue Moon
Once In A Blue Moon

 

The performer’s precision timing is key, with the crafted sound and lighting cues. These multi-dimensional effects surround the audience with layers of sensation, blurring boundaries between dance, ritual, and visual art.

Patterns repeat and modulate, symbolising repetition and cyclical pain, while the pace of the piece builds into a crescendo of melancholy.

Issaoui is visibly moved by the work’s close, punctuating the experience with authenticity and emotional depth. The ritual ends not with clear answers, but with a shared sense that something profound, if hard to articulate, has transpired.

While “Once in a Blue Moon” may not suit every taste, I found myself admiring the precision and vision more than personally connecting with its abstract ethos. It stands as a compelling example of experimental performance in Western Sydney. The blending of film, choreography, sound, and symbolic staging delivers a textured, esoteric meditation on grief, transformation, and spiritual passage. Issaoui’s willingness to traverse the boundaries of art-form and narrative ensures this work is both brave and memorable. I admire and am in awe of the power of the personal artistic risk and wholehearted embodiment.

Recommended for those ready to meaningfully engage with experimental theatre. It is a deep, beautiful, brave and vulnerable piece of performance art.

To book tickets to Once In A Blue Moon, please visit https://sydneyfringe.com/events/once-in-a-blue-moon/.

Photographer: Benjamin Tiger La

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A Twist of Fate

A Twist of Fate

A Twist of Fate Rating

★★★★★

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3

As someone who has a love for the unusual (think Black Mirror, Supernatural, The X-Files), when this show landed in my inbox, I immediately jumped at the chance to see it. A Twist of Fate was advertised as ‘4 short plays, 4 devastating twists’ and I ouldn’t help but wonder if this series of plays lives up to the shows I so loved? Shows that provided such comfort to my younger self?

So, entering the Motley Bauhaus, surrounded by bricks and nestled in an old theatre seat far comfier than those of today, I waited. And in succession I watched Bestow, Mr Moore Wants Less, Mr Id and Possession.

Each of these plays made me either cackle in delight, widen my eyes or, pleasantly, a mixture of both!

Bestow had an infectious sense of comedy, of power, of understanding how to mix both the unusual and the highly relatable into one. I saw myself in all the characters and was totally hooked through each scare and each comedic beat.

Mr Id had more energy than a toddler after 3 lolly bags and I must give a commendation to Liliana Braumberger who played the title character for solidly keeping this energy. This was a play of moral dilemmas, sponsorships (that became increasingly more silly) and heart.

 

A Twist of Fate
A Twist of Fate
A Twist of Fate

 

Possession was both innocent and curious, in a way that makes you almost feel pity for the title character. This is, of course, until the end twist. I swear I heard jaws drop to the floor and I really commend Kate Weston on holding the stage presence of the most delightful (and perhaps most twisted) little girl I have ever seen.

However, my favourite of the plays was Mr Moore Wants Less. Each scene, each character, each ridiculous scenario knew how wild it was and revelled in it. It also caused me to think, in the best way possible and genuinely felt both heartwarming and completely bonkers. This is one of my favourite combinations and was beautifully presented on stage.

As the Producer of Scary Goats Theatre, Chloe Towan played host to this tremendous piece of stage work. Towan was invested, intrigued and played the perfect disturbing narrator. It’s also a delight to see a company that works with many people in many roles. No-one really wears one hat. Each person played a significant role (if not multiple roles) in putting on a show that was unsettling, thought provoking and giggle-inducing in writing, acting, directing and more.

This show created not only a sense of community, but also a sense of beauty. And if this is the future of Melbourne Independent Theatre, then I cannot wait to see more. This show knew what it was, how to deliver and how to make the most fun out of it all. So, did it meet my expectations? No, it fully exceeded them. And maybe, just maybe that’s my own Twist of Fate….

To book tickets to A Twist of Fate, please visit https://linktr.ee/scarygoatstheatre.

Photographer: Kieran McNamara

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